Slayers and Aliens
by DuffJessica
Summary: After moving to Metropolis Buffy runs into an opposing six foot four man who won't leave her alone. Does she really want him to? First chapter has been rewritten. Buffy/Clark some OOC for supporting characters such as light femslash
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note. I realize that this story has not been updated in some time. I apologize for the delay. My research at grad school has dominated my life for the last two years. I decided to start working on this story again because I kept getting story alerts that people were adding my story. I hated the idea that people were still reading this story with nothing new being added. This chapter is a complete rewrite of the first chapter. Chapters two and three will also be rewritten. I want to add more depth to this story so some of the information given in the original three chapters before will be extended. Now knowledge of the Buffy comics or the DC comics are necessary for the way I am re writing this. Also I am going to fit the Smallville continuity to what has happened up till recently. When I first wrote this Clark had not yet become the blur. This will be fixed to keep from conflicting with Smallville continuity.

Read review and enjoy.

Dawn is going to kill me. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I had promised her a better life, a simpler life, a life where she could be a normal college student without the stress of the supernatural. The slayer in me always wants to fight, to seek out lost and hurt souls. We had left England in hopes of finding a better life one without the pain and grief that always seems to follow us. We had just scored a huge victory for the powers that be. We had saved their champion and averted yet anther catastrophe. Twilight just like the Initiative before them had ruined any faith I had in the American military. Dawn made me promise that I would move on. No one needed the last Chosen One anymore. There were plenty of slayers to take up the call. Buffy Summers was obsolete.

My name was infamous it had been plastered all over the news worldwide. Along with pictures of me killing vampires and other beings now called meta-humans. Dawn had been gracefully left out of the public eye but we both had to change our names. Out of a sick sense of irony on Dawn's behalf she had decided that our new surname should be Winters.

We had moved to the American heartland in hopes to get as far from the world we left behind as we could. Metropolis seemed like a nice city on the outside. We had both failed to notice the crime rates in this mid-western burgh. Nor had we noticed the amount of vigilantism this city attracted. So entranced were we by the idea of a fresh start that we had overlooked a lot of information that may have kept us from this place.

Despite all of this I could have stayed out of trouble if only for Dawn's sake. But no I couldn't do that. I was a slayer it wasn't in me to back down from anything. That's why Dawn is going to kill me. There's no avoiding it. Once she finds out she is going to be livid. Like I said I couldn't help it. When I heard that girls scream the slayer took over. It had to protect to fight.

I was walking home late one night when I heard the tell tale signs of a damsel in distress. No longer was I thinking about sales figures and importation taxes. My brain went dead as my instincts took control. Before I really knew what was going on I had made it half way down the dark alley the scream had come from. It was a man a human man. The fact that the girl's assailant was human didn't deter the slayer from wanting vengeance but I had to force myself into control. If the slayer attacked the rapist full force he may likely have been killed.

I marched my stilettos in his direction grabbing him up by the throat before he could do anything more to the bruised woman. Giving the rapist very little attention I tossed him to the ground bellowing out a short command that he leave the girl alone. He didn't listen. When do they ever listen? The girl was frightened and shivering against the side of a metal dumpster. The man had in just a few moments reduced this woman into hysterics. Turning back to the man who was stupid enough not to leave I glared. Demons and vampires usually get the hint by now that I'm not someone who gets messed with. Humans aren't as linked to their surroundings to realize when the bogeyman is staring them in the face. He advanced on me slowly like he wanted to take pleasure in hurting me. As if.

I stood still waiting for the man to get closer. Once he was in arms reach I could see the wicked grin on his face. Scars on either side of his mouth augmented his smile. He was insane, that was why he wasn't afraid. The man was delusional. Grabbing for his right hand I cracked the wrist while spinning him around. The force drove him to his knees. He whimpered slightly to the pain. Holding him there I heard sirens coming down the street. I hadn't seen any witnesses but it didn't matter.

Within minutes the perpetrator who I now knew as Jack Napier was secured in a police vehicle and the girl was off to a hospital. The man was a wanted serial killer who had already killed seven girls in Metropolis. The police took my statement and asked if they could put my name on the official report. The town was full of vigilantes and the cops were grateful that a standard citizen had averted at least one crime. I nodded my head at the officer and turned to leave for home. I'm not sure why I said yes but part of me has always hated being secret identity girl.

I turned the corner headed toward my house and saw a tall man leaning against the side of the building. He was easily two meters tall. He had wavy black hair and deep blue eyes. When he saw me his face split into a grin. The grinning face in front of me was more sincere than the one the serial killer had given me. The figure shoved his hands into his jean pockets and moved away from the wall putting a little distance between us.

'That was quite the save you performed back there.' He said gesturing in the direction of the raping. Had this guy been watching the whole time? What kind of man could just stand and watch a woman being raped.

'You saw that did you?' I said giving him a wide birth as I tried to walk past him.

'I was watching. You were already involved when I got there.' He said letting me pass by. 'I was interested to see if you could take care of the situation.'

This man was confusing me. Why would someone just sit back and watch a small woman try to fight off a serial killer. I hate people who miss judge me based on my size but this was different. 'You would have to be pretty damn fast to step in and help if anything had gone wrong.'

'You are clearly not what you look like.' He said moving to walk beside me. 'I saw how you lifted that guy by the throat.' He shook his head as if still not believing what he saw. 'It was spectacular.'

I was shocked he wasn't judging me for my size or afraid of my slayer strength. He appeared to be amazed at what I had done out of appreciation. 'Your not going to start freaking out that a small blonde girl was able to lift that guy and throw him thirty feet?'

My statement caused him to laugh softly before turning to look into my eyes. 'I'm the last person on earth who should miss judge anyone based on their size.'

The rest of the walk to my townhouse was spent in silence. It wasn't awkward but I could tell that he wanted to ask me something. 'Well this is me' I said pointing at the brownstone in front of us. 'This was definitely a strange day for me.'

He smiled again this time reaching his eyes as the azure orbs began to sparkle. 'Would you like to meet me at my office tomorrow for lunch?'

This was looking up he wanted to meet during the day which eliminated the possibility that he was a vampire. 'Sure I would like that.' I said holding out my hand. 'I'm Anne Winters by the way.'

He smiled again turning my skin into goose flesh. 'I'm Clark Kent, Daily Planet.' He said shaking my hand.

'A reporter huh?' I said with a mischievous grin. 'Are you fishing for an exclusive Mr Kent?'

Turning to leave Clark put his hand back into his pocket and met my grin with a smile. 'You never know Ms Winters. Meet me in the newsroom at noon tomorrow.'

With that his back retreated down the street. As I unlocked the door to my home I couldn't get the image of those sparkling eyes out of my head. Dawn was going to kill me for sure.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello, can't believe this took me so long to write. Sorry about the delay but I got several reviews that mentioned the clash of Superman and Smallville so I rewrote both the first and second chapters to reflect that this is indeed a Smallville story not a Superman story. Please review!

Disclaimer: Warner owns Smallville and DC. Joss owns Buffy

Slayers and Aliens

Quietly opening the large wooden door to my townhouse, I attempted to sneak in undetected. The effort was pointless as Dawn was sitting on the bottom stair directly in front of the door. She had taken to doing this when we were kids. When I was committed for psychiatric care, Dawn became overprotective always worried that I would be taken away. Shutting the door behind me, I leaned against the door crossing my arms over my chest.

'Who is supposed to be the parent here again?' I said with an annoyed smirk.

Dawn looked guilty but didn't budge. 'I was worried.' she said pulling her legs up to her chest. 'You didn't call.'

Locking the door, I walked over to the stairs and sat down. 'I'm sorry.' I said wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

I had long ago come to the realization that some part of Dawn's subconscious understands that we are connected biologically, making her more concerned for my welfare than most sisters would be. That knowledge cut me deeply when thinking about my death and how it must have affected her. Squeezing her shoulder, I placed a kiss on the top of her head.

'What are you thinking about Dawnie?' I asked hoping to assuage her concerns.

I heard her sniffle before she spoke. 'Lana called to tell me when you left the office. She knows I worry about you walking home.'

I laughed at the image of Lana checking the streets to see if I'm safe. The two of them have grown really close. I introduced them the day I hired Lana to be my personal assistant. 'Did she call you when she got home?' I teased.

Dawn looked up at me and smiled for the first time since I got home. 'Yes she did.' She said bluntly. 'She knows better than to let me worry about her.'

Dawn stuck her tongue out causing me to laugh. 'You do know that she's got super powers and is pretty much impervious right.' I teased again. 'Summers women are cursed as far as dating is concerned.'

Dawn slapped my shoulder harder than I thought she could. 'I am not cursed.' She said giving me the resolve face. 'Just because Kenny was a thricewise doesn't mean that I am going to go dating two hundred and fifty year old master vampires.'

I couldn't help but laugh at how serious she was. 'Dawn your girlfriend can fly and has alien super powers. How is that normal?'

'Look who's talking.' She said clearly not backing down. 'You and Angel can do all of those things too.' She said only realizing too late that she had mentioned his name.

My face fell at the mention of his name. I understood that he was called by the powers to make some hard decisions. I had been forced to make some tough calls as head slayer but his path lead him down a road I couldn't follow. I still love him and I'm sure I always will but now more than ever I understand that we cannot be together.

'It's okay Dawnie.' I said squeezing her shoulder again. 'I just hope you know that Lana and I can take care of ourselves. And nothing short of the next apocalypse will keep us from you.' Kissing her forehead, I smiled down at her again. 'You mean everything to me Dawn. I hope you understand that you will always be my little key.'

'Pfft, little?' She said obviously annoyed. 'I'm taller than you _mom_.' She said the last word slowly as if I was deaf.

Standing up I held out my hand to support her. 'Come on lets hit the sack. I have to get up early tomorrow.'

'Why?' She looked up at me confused. 'You always go into work at the same time.'

'I have a lunch appointment tomorrow and I need to make sure Lana is ready to show the collection to some important clients.' I said while helping her up.

Dawn walked to the front door chanting in Sumerian. Placing her hand on the door, she sealed the ward she was casting before turning to walk upstairs. When we bought the house, Dawn spent weeks building up defensive wards and hexes to protect the house. Magic was so much more reliable than a human security system.

Our house was a four-story brownstone in a popular high-class area of Metropolis. Our rooms were on separate floors but easily accessible to each other. Dawn wanted them spaced apart for privacy, and I just didn't want to hear what her and Lana did in there. It was weird enough that my four-year-old daughter/clone was dating a woman the same age as me. I so did not need to think about them having sex.

I awoke the next morning unsure of how I had made it to my bed. Slipping out of my queen sized four-poster bed I slunk toward the bathroom and realized that I was wearing the same gray and pink pantsuit I had worn the day before. Once I was awake and significantly, cleaner I put on a fresh black skirt with blazer and headed to the downstairs kitchen. Dawn as always was up early making breakfast. She knew that if she didn't cook for me then I would probably not eat any breakfast at all.

My office was just one subway stop from home, which made it easy to get to work. Before leaving England Giles set me up as a dealer in rare antiquities. Using a bit of the Council's finances, I secured a rather nice office here in Metropolis. Ironically, the offices I had acquired were in the infamous Daily Planet building. I had made the decision to purchase the ninth and tenth floors of the building primarily due to the enormous elevators used to transport pieces of equipment in and out of the printing press room. The limited access to the service elevators made it easy to transport large pieces. The art deco design to the building helped add a sense of grandeur to the space. Having gutted half of the space I had developed a nice open showroom that extended into the tenth floor from the ninth. Most of the pieces that weren't on display were kept in a solid lead and titanium vault. Not even a Fyarl demon could have broken in.

Of course, I had already known that Clark Kent was a reporter at the Daily Planet. I had never met him but his name was starting to become synonymous with the Planet. He wasn't the only person becoming famous because of the Daily Planet. The mysterious Blur had made quite a name for himself even if no one knew what he looked like. It took less than twenty minutes to get to the Planet building in no time I was stepping into the elevator. Before the doors of the elevator closed, a tall brown-haired woman rushed into the car. She looked like she was rushed by the dishevelled appearance of her clothing. The elevator arrived at my destination first indicating that the woman sharing the elevator car was headed to the newsrooms above.

The lobby just off the main elevator was stylized to catch the attention of whatever wealthy buyers may visit. Before the elevator doors closed behind me I could see that the art deco design had the desired effect on the reporter I had shared the ride with. So far as I knew none of the news staff had yet gotten a glimpse of the illustrious Winters Limited. Whoever that reporter had been she was more than likely already starting a rumour mill.

Lana was ready for me to arrive at my office. As I sat at my desk she outlined my day and placed a Starbucks cup next to my laptop. She was attentive as always and maintained a strict business only attitude despite being in a relationship with her boss's sister. It was a detail necessary in our line of work. Regardless of the company's youth the main source of our income came form people of a higher class. This requires rigorous attention to be paid to detail and formality. My office as such was large and far too grandiose for my tastes. Behind my desk was a large bank of windows that looked out at the Metropolis skyline and sentinel park.

The first client of the day was Ms Kathy Kane. The socialite was one of those flighty lesbians who liked to flaunt their sexuality in the tabloids. Lana stood in front of my desk with her back straight waiting for my directive. After reading over a report on what pieces Ms Kane was interested in I tilted my head in the direction of another folder in my assistants hands. Lana, taking the dark blue folder and handing it to me, smirked slightly as her hand brushed over the words "Confidential: Restricted" in bold red stamp in the top corner of the file folder.

I made it a habit of keeping tabs on all of our clients and their activities. In contrast of the financial importance of keeping influential clients I refused to service those that willingly funded the mob or other criminal activities. Lana had proven herself to be quite capable in the field of corporate espionage and data gathering. Flipping the folder open I skimmed the first page that outlined Ms Kane's holdings in Gotham city. The socialite owned one high-rise condo in Metropolis but that seemed to be the only personal piece of property outside of Gotham. Europe and Asia were different stories altogether. She owned at least four villas scattered across Europe and a house and condo in Japan. There was also some mention of her previously owning a small patch of land in Tibet. Ms Kane had no personal ties to the mob however she did have several relatives that supported a known crime boss or two. These all seemed like inadvertent financial donations when one or more of them had been running for political office.

Satisfied with the financial report I noticed several other pieces of documentation in the folder. Glancing up I saw Lana indicate that I should continue reading. Usually these reports would highlight simple financial matters that I needed to determine the viability of a business relationship. Ms Lang it seemed had found a carrot and I was more than willing to follow. Along with a vague connection to a land purchase in Tibet there was mention of Ms Kane going missing for several months. The socialite was mountain climbing near K2 when she reportedly went missing during an avalanche. She reappeared eight months later in Nepal nearly two thousand kilometres from base camp. No mention was given to how she had travelled so far or how she was till alive. Over the two years since her disappearance Ms Kane had bought more ancient Chinese artwork than any other style or ethnic origin. She had made a personal trip to Nepal at least twice a year each time under the guise that she was on holiday in the Mediterranean.

Something monumental had happened to the heiress during her exile. Closing the folder I once again picked up the request list looking over the pieces she was after. Something wasn't quite right with the things she was looking for. Taking a look again I noticed that each of the pieces that Ms Kane wanted dated back to the Zhou Dynasty. Specifically she was looking for pieces dating to just before the Battle of Guiling. What was so important about that time period that has the socialite so enthralled?

Lana took up the files and wrote a note on the requisition list. 'Ms Kane was particularly interested in a sword we have in the vault called the "Shé De Huǒ zāi" .' Lana looked up at me and frowned. 'Its listed as part of the "special" collection in the vault.'

We used the term special to refer to items of possible supernatural origin. If Ms Kane had an otherworldly encounter in Nepal she may put others in danger. Nodding to Lana I stood and walked into the showroom. 'We need to test this sword to see if it's dangerous.'

It looked like I may have to take a rain check on that lunch date.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than the previous two. Hope you all like that story so far. This chapter helps set up how Buffy is going to relate to the nature of super heroes in Metropolis. Things in Smallville are mush more cloak and dagger which takes some creativity finding a new way to introduce a vigilante that fits how Ollie and them work. Please review!

Disclaimer: Warner owns DC and Smallville. Joss and company own Buffy. I own nothing but wish I did.

Slayers and Aliens

Impenetrable lead walls surrounded us as Lana and I moved through the Winters Limited vault. The lead made it impossible for almost anyone to get inside. The heat was unbearable inside the vault. For security reasons the vault had no external air circulation. Lana was lucky that her abilities made it possible to where fashionable cloths without getting too hot or cold. I on the other hand was almost unable to stay in the room wearing my full business suit. I was glad that I had worn a simple white blouse today.

The vault was reserved for the most valuable and dangerous items in my collection. Next to the archive under the British Museum no storage facility owned by the Watchers Council was as secure. Along with my collection I kept weapons and holy artefacts the Council deemed hazardous.

Lana moved ahead to a wooden crate on the far wall. Staying close to the vault door I watched Lana open the crate and remove a medium sized Tai Chi blade. The sheathe was made of wood finished in black lacquer matching the black polished handle. The hilt of the blade was designed to resemble a birds wings with a ruby set in the centre.

'Should we take this out of the vault?' Lana wondered looking at me then down to the sword and back up to me. 'I doesn't seem too dangerous.'

Shaking my head I frowned at my assistant. 'That's why its staying in here.' I said disappointed in her naivety. 'You cant trust something by the way it looks. Especially a sword that's two millennia old but shows obvious use nearly fifteen hundred years later.'

Lana looked back at the object in her hands with a mask of confusion. 'What do you mean?'

Crossing the ten feet between us I took the sword from her hands and ran my fingers down the side of its wooden scabbard. 'This sheathing is covered in a polished lacquer. This kind of varnish coupled with the small white flowers near the hilt suggests this sword was last used in fifteenth century Okinawa.' Gripping the handle of the sword I slid the blade out an inch examining the scratches on the blade. 'Look at this.' I said pointing to a small round dent barley a millimetre deep. 'This sword last saw combat against an English musket.'

Lana took the sword from me sliding the thin inch wide blade out of its casing. The blade shone dully in the dim light highlighting its years of use. The blade itself was flat without any decorative markings. This sword had been made for battle which its dents and scratches bore witness. The varnish on the handle was new and polished. Lana balanced the weapon in her right hand before replacing the blade in its sheathe. As she slid the sword back into place she noticed a strange marking on the butt of the handle. 'Look at this.' She said handing the sword to me handle first. Before the hilt had even made it into my hands I saw the Japanese kanji that had been pressed into the butt of the weapon. I knew exactly what the symbol was.

'The Demon!' I exclaimed backing away from the weapon. Lana looked startled but confused. I couldn't blame her she wasn't as well travelled as I was. 'That's the mark of the League of Shadows.'

Two hours later the elevator doors opened out onto our floor. Kathy Kane and her bodyguard stepped out into an empty lobby. The Gotham socialite was tall with bright red hair and was wearing a grey business suit. Her guard was just as tall with dark skin denoting mixed racial decent. The dark woman was wearing tight jeans a grey sweater and black leather coat. Neither woman had made more then three steps before the electricity crackled and died. Not a single light shone save the single green emergency light highlighting the fire escape access. Looking around the bodyguard drew her handgun preparing for a fire fight. A light breeze swept through the lobby leaving the guard without her weapon. 'What the hell!' She exclaimed moving her body to shield the heiress.

Ms Kane looked about the lobby trying to catch the shadow of their captures. 'How did they find out?' She wondered talking to her protector.

'This can't be Shiva.' She stated in reply without losing focus. 'She would have killed us by now.'

'_Who is Shiva?'_ A whisper of a voice asked in the darkness.

'Damn.' The bodyguard exclaimed. 'Could this be one of her rivals?'

Reaching out and touching her shoulder Kathy Kane tried to calm her protector. 'We can't worry about that. We need to find a way out of here.'

'_Renee Montoya...'_

'What the hell is going on?' The guard cursed. 'How the hell do they know my name?'

'_You want answers.'_ The voice trailed. _'When you do not even know the question.'_

Montoya froze, it was impossible for anyone to know her past. Only a handful of people knew what had happened in that cave.

'Who are you!' She shouted into the darkness. 'What do you want?'

Both women were terrified by the implications that their captures knew about their pasts.

'_We want the question...'_ The voice was closer than before, more pronounced.

'We don't owe you anything.' The Afro-Hispanic answered.

Frowning at the impetuousness of her companion Kathy Kane tried to place where the voice was coming from. Every time it spoke the sound came from a new direction. 'What do you want from us?' She asked hoping that diplomacy may save them.

'_The Ghoul has no use for you heiress.' _The voice called making both women jump from the proximity.

'Is that who you are?' Kathy implored worried that there was no escape. 'Are you the Ghoul?'

The direction of the next response caused both women to loose all hope. _'The sword will not help you.'_ This response was louder than the others and came from directly behind them where the elevator doors had just closed leaving them alone. '_It's poison cannot kill him.'_

'Damn!' Renee swore. 'What do you want with the sword?'

'_The Ghoul cannot die.' _There seemed to no one direction to the voice. The hollow words felt as if they came from the air itself. _'What is the question?'_

Fire filled every pore of Renee Montoya's body as a piercing pain struck her left shoulder. Crumpling to her knees she pressed her hand to her shoulder feeling warm sticky blood pouring from the stab wound. Her head felt light and dizzy, barely able to see the sweat drenched strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face. The dark woman had felt like this before. Years ago she had stood in a pitch black cave on the brink of death. The sweet smell of flowers had lulled her into the cave seeking shelter. The scent of the cave drove her far deeper than was necessary to escape the frigid cold of the Tibetan Mountains. Haze had filled her vision as she heard a ghostly voice ask for the question that would save her life. 'Who am I?'

An instant after Renee choked out the words there was a blinding light. Warm liquid touched her lips and the haze lifted from her lips. Batting her eyes to adjust to the bright lights of the lobby entrance Montoya stood. Looking around her she saw Kathy Kane still right next to her. On the other side of the room stood Lana Lang and I. Dangling loosely from one hand I held the sword. The tip of the blade was dripping with blood. One or two drops of Renee's blood fell from the tip splashing onto the floor as the gravity of the situation settled into the former police officer.

'You weren't going to sell that sword to us where you?' Renee spat still clutching onto her shoulder.

I couldn't help but laugh as an indignant look formed on the darker woman's face. 'Not after I realised what it was.'

'How did you know about me?' She growled. She was clearly sick and tired of the games. 'Only the clan and my sensei knew I was in that cave.'

'You don't believe that I could be a member of this ninja clan?' I asked wondering how deep she had fallen into their ranks. 'I could be one of his personal assassins.'

'His?' She asked. From the way her brow wrinkled when she spoke it was clear that she had no idea what I was talking about.

'If you can't answer that then I certainly am not going to tell you.' I could not believe she got this far without knowing who was behind the League. Taking a white cloth from Lana I wiped the bold form the tip of the sword. Lana took the handkerchief and tucked it into her pocket ensuring not to smear the blood. 'I am not going to give you this weapon if you don't understand what it is and it's purpose.'

Kathy Kane had clearly had enough of her bodyguards temper. Stepping forward with a dominate hand on Montoya's shoulder Kathy stared at the sword still held in my right hand. 'I need that sword.' It was a command. It was clear that this woman was used to getting what she wanted.

'No.'

My response was simple and held no emotion. This was a game that neither woman was ready to enter. No matter what trials they had endured they had no idea the danger they were putting themselves in or exactly who was involved. Members of every government and mob organisation in the world had at least one member who was directly connected to Him. Whether they operated under his personal army the League of Shadows or as part of the enigmatic League of Assassins no one but his trusted lieutenants knew his real name. Throughout history many have seen his face but few knew his true identity. He is his own pawn in the war on human weakness. Only through societal eugenics can his goals be met.

'You don't have what it takes to wield his weapon.' I stated tersely sliding the blade back into its casing. 'Forget about this or you'll wind up dead.'

'We were told to find that sword.' Montoya said trying to regain control of the situation. She was obviously used to having a handle on everything. 'It's supposed to let us into the inner sanctum of a member of the League of Assassins called Bronze Tiger.'

For a brief moment I had turned my head to hand Lana the sword. My head snapped to attention when she said that name. These two were both very close to being dead. 'What do you know about the Bronze Tiger?' I demanded.

This attracted both of their attentions. For once Montoya was speechless letting Ms Kane speak. 'Shiva ordered him to kidnap my sister.' She said stepping forward.

'Ah!'

'Omf!'

In a second the socialite and her body guard were on the floor. I had leapt onto both of them pinning their torso's to the floor with my knees. Grabbing their necks in either of my hands I glanced back and forth looking both in the eyes. 'Let me make this perfectly clear.' I growled. 'If your sister has been kidnapped by Bronze Tiger himself than the League has plans to kill you.' Pausing to imply my seriousness I ground my knee into Montoya's ribs when she tried to squirm free. 'Bronze Tiger would only be involved if your execution was meant to be public.'

'Why would they do that?' Kathy Kane gasped. It was hard for her to breath with my slayer enhanced grip on her throat.

It was clear that neither of these women understood how much trouble they were in. 'Ms Montoya here knew exactly what toxin I used to cause her hallucination.' Looking back at the Afro-Hispanic I saw her vision clear as understanding slowly dawned on her. 'Do you know where that toxin comes from?'

'Blue mountain lilies.' She said her body going slack. She had given up fighting me. If her mind was so broken by her experiences than she was no good in a fight against the League.

'It wasn't hard to figure out how you knew each other.' I said standing up. Both of their spirits had been broken. Just like they had been in the Himalayas. 'You were both rescued and trained to be tools against injustice.'

Standing Renee bristled against my remark. 'That's exactly how he said it.' Taking a step forward Montoya's admiration for her rescuer gave her strength. 'How do you know Vic?'

Kathy Kane blanched when her bodyguard said his name. The former Gotham detective didn't notice the reaction when she gave away the name of their former colleague. Fortunately this wasn't a surprise to me. Lana and I had kicked into research mode when the identity of the sword had been confirmed. Some of my less reputable contacts had enlightened me to exactly who I was dealing with.

'So it was Szasz.' I muttered not missing the colour drain from their faces. 'Charles Szasz is not who you think he is.'

Blind rage filled Renee Montoya. The woman was nearly a foot taller than me but her size was my weapon. Attempting to bull rush me the tall dark woman ran at me intending to put me on the ground. Her form was sloppy and her speed no where near the level of a trained ninja. What had Charlie been doing with these women that he let them leave the League of Shadows so ill prepared? I was about to find out.

Easily side stepping the larger woman I chopped the back of her neck sending her to the ground. She was out cold and would stay that way for the better part of an hour. When I looked back to the heiress I saw more than concern on her face. She was in love. The socialite and her bodyguard were lovers. It was all right there where anyone could see. The way her eyes widened in fear collecting small tears in the corners the motion of her lips moving to a silent mantra. Kathy Kane was a walking billboard flashing _you can emotionally compromise me by physically abusing my bodyguard/girlfriend_.

The League must have been controlling them from the moment they were found. It was a classic tactic used for centuries to indoctrinate assassins. You placed two people in a physically and emotionally stressful situation depriving them of any human contact except each other. After the two have formed lasting bonds the least skilled is seriously wounded or killed. If the surviving partner believes that a warring tribe or clan is responsible they become intently focused on retribution. The result is a warrior who is blind in their devotion to their clan.

For some unknown reason the League of Shadows planned on using the death of Kathy Kane's sister and her lover to force her to be loyal to Charlie Szasz. _Oh my god!_ I couldn't believe that it had taken me this long to figure it out. Looking down at Renee Montoya I could see a slight bulge in her leather jacket. Reaching inside her coat I found the hidden pocket and pulled out a rubber mask and three silver balls. The mask had a mesh screen over the eyes giving the impression that the wearer had no eyes. The silver balls were easily recognisable as gas pellets.

As I stood with the objects in my hand I heard Ms Kane gasp before looking up and seeing the horror on her face. Grinning I handed the mask and pellets to Lana who had remained stoic behind me. She was a good actor and had spent the entire exchange in silent indifference.

'Your girlfriend has been playing vigilante Ms Kane.' I said schooling my features. I needed to come off as a serious player to pull this off.

'How did you know that she's my girlfriend?' She asked clearly more concerned for her girlfriend than herself. 'No one knows about us. Not even Vic knew.'

Chuckling I shook my head. 'No Ms Kane, he knew. You are too obvious in your affection for the League to not have noticed.' Now to see if my plan is going to work. 'Charlie sold you out to the Bronze Tiger.'

Her hand flew to her mouth. She was shocked but not disbelieving. Good. 'Why would he do that?' She asked sincere in her worry. She was starting to lose faith in her former sensei.

'For centuries two ninja clans have been at war. The Kage Ri-gu and Kyoukan Renmei clans are natural enemies. While Kage Ri-gu, or Shadow Clan, upholds justice and balance while Kyoukan Renmei, also known as the League of Assassins, worships chaos. The Shadow clan over the years has used masked vigilantes as symbols of justice. Charlie Szasz was sent to New York City to fight for injustice as Vic Sage. Three years ago Szasz faked the death of his alter ego Sage and joined the League of Assassins.' As I spoke I could see the physical change in Kathy Kane. Every word I spoke hardened her gaze. She was believing everything I said. 'He more than likely staged that avalanche so he could save you.'

The socialite glanced over at the Tai-Chi blade in Lana's hand. 'That blade belongs to the Kage Clan doesn't it?' She asked looking back at me. I nodded my head in response letting Kathy lead herself to the conclusion I wanted her to believe. 'I was supposed to rush in to my sisters rescue looking like a representative of the Clan. The League of Assassins would have re-ignited a war.'

The conclusion Ms Kane had come to was true approximately. As was most of what I told her. Much of the lie existed in the implication that I represented the League of Shadows. While I did have personal experience with the League and my own Vic Sage in the excessively theatrical Henri Ducard I was not currently his pawn. At least I didn't think I was. If I could shape this weapon the League had created then I could strike a devastating blow to the Ghoul's operation.

'You need to get Ms Montoya out of this building.' I said looking down at the prone figure laying on my lobby floor. 'We need to get the two of you to safety before the League finds out that your here.' Looking Kathy in the eyes I tried to convey every ounce of seriousness I could. 'There is a black four door sedan in the basement parking garage. The keys are in the glove compartment. Take the service elevator directly to the bottom floor of the garage. The car will be in the closest parking space to the elevator.'

Ms Kane nodded in understanding before kneeling down and lifting her lovers body to her feet. Raising Montoya's arm around her shoulders the brunette heiress half drug half carried her to the elevator.

'Oh, and Ms Kane?' I called after them. Kathy turned to look at me stopping in front of the elevator doors. 'Don't tell your girlfriend about our little conversation.' The look on her face was a mix of disbelief and confusion. 'She would have died the second she walked off the elevator if this hadn't been a test. The Clan has no use for a weapon that is dull and brittle.'

I got no response save their retreating back's. It was just as well. I didn't need her to acknowledge my threat. She had already set herself down a path with no return.

Turning to my assistant I grinned brightly trying to wash the seriousness of our brief transaction. 'Please call Clark and tell him that I can make our Lunch date after all.' Nodding her head Lana walked through the double door entrance to our office suit. Whistling as I slowly made my way back to my office I wondered if I should try to get into contact the infamous Blur. If I was going to be acting as mysterious benefactor to a young vigilante I should probably make friends with the established heroes of Metropolis.

* * *

A/N 2: sorry about the lack of Clark in this chapter. He will be more present soon as Buffy tries to handle her personal life with Clark and her professional life with the Blur. Review!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for my absence the last few months. My graduate classes have made it really hard for me to sit and write. I hope everyone likes this chapter it took me almost two months to get this worked out. Please read and review. I doubt my schedule is going to be any better this spring but maybe if I get enough demand I'll try to make some time to write on the weekends. P.S. I don't have a Beta so there may be some errors that I missed. If anyone wants to help beta my stuff that would be greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: Warner owns DC and Smallville. Joss and company own Buffy.

A loud metal "DING" sounded as the large brass doors of the elevator slid open revealing the rushed madness of the Daily Planet newsroom. Stepping out of the elevator I could not help smiling at the frantic nature of the metropolitan journal. Staying in the outer vestibule housing the elevators I waited until I could see my lunch date at work. Shortly after sitting down on a wooden bench next to the elevator I heard a shouting match break out between a man and a woman. A few moments later a tall brunette stormed out of the newsroom her red stiletto hills clicking loudly on the laminate floor. I could tell from the way she walked that she was throwing weight into her steps to make her angry march more pronounced. A few seconds after the perturbed reporter walked into the vestibule a tall well built man with dark hair followed her. At first I hadn't recognised who he was. Everything about this man seemed to contradict what I had seen the night before. His posture was slouched making his six foot four frame look bulky instead of muscular. The glasses on his face coupled with the greased back hair complimented his suit and tie in making him look like a geek. Even his voice was different, instead of the steady baritone his voice was now slightly higher in pitch as he tried to get his partner to stop.

'Lois!' He shouted becoming visibly exasperated at his partner's antics. 'I'm sorry that I beat you to the story.'

Enjoying the show and not at all upset that he had not noticed me I giggled silently as the brunette six meters in front of him turned slowly seething in anger.

'You didn't beat me at anything Kent!' She said loudly stomping her foot at the end of her sentence. 'You stole that story from me. There is no way you were even there to get a quote.'

The antics between the two of them were priceless. If things were like this all the time it's a wonder that the building was still standing. A smile spread across Clark's face and he regained almost an inch of his height. He was enjoying torturing her and the mask he was wearing was starting to slip.

'I know you couldn't have been there Smallville because I blocked the door to the office as I ran out.' Lois shouted only a few moments later realising that she had given herself away.

A long second went by punctuated by a loud male voice yelling 'LANE!" Lois had the decency to look ashamed as she turned her head to see her boss, the editor and chief, Perry White standing at the opening of the newsroom. The older man's face was red and I could almost see steam coming out of his ears. 'My office NOW!' was all he said before disappearing back into the news room.

Clark stood still staring at where Lois had vanished back into the newsroom.

'Well, that was fun to watch.' I said noticing the small jump in his posture when I spoke. He turned around to face me obviously startled that he hadn't noticed me before. I waved cheekily enjoying the unease he was displaying. 'Good afternoon mister Kent.'

A smile spread across his face when Clark saw me. The four inches of height he had been hiding restored them selves as a mirth shone in his eyes. 'Why hello miss Winters.'

The man I now saw before me looked wry and jovial. I couldn't help but reciprocate his grin. 'What am I going to do with you?' I pondered matching his wide spread expression.

With a shrug he removed his suit jacket draping it over his left arm. Holding out his other arm to me the corners of his cerulean eyes sparkled. 'Why don't we find out?'

I looped my left arm through his right and stepped back onto the elevator. 'Where too?'

'It's a surprise.'

An hour later I found myself half drunk in the back room of small Vietnamese restaurant located in the heart of Suicide Slums. Like the Narrows of Gotham City, Suicide Slums was the poorest ghetto imaginable in a North American City. Each interaction I had with Clark Kent caused me to question everything I thought I knew. When I first moved to Metropolis I thought Clark was one of those reclusive liberals who thought they understood what life was really like. My only basis for this image came from reading his column in the Planet International a "New Yorker" type of periodical traded all over the western world. When I met him the night before I felt like he was this self obsessed but brilliant newspaper journalist who got way too close to the action than was necessarily good for his health. Then this morning I was confounded by him twice in-the-course-of half an hour. At first the impression I had gotten from him at the newspaper lead me to believe that he was not as confident around his peers as he seemed in private. He was also hiding something. His demeanour at the Planet showed me that there was a secret he was hiding from his partner. More than likely he was wanted by someone for a past indiscretion. This last hypothesis of mine was formed when he took me to this dive of a restaurant in the middle of the worst part of town. Clark and I had taken a cab from the Planet and not his car which I knew he had as I had passed his parking space that morning in the buildings garage. Then we had exited the cab two blocks from our destination and entered the restaurant through a back ally. My lunch date had yet to explain his behaviour or how he knew fluent Vietnamese. The profiteer of the noodle shop had set up a table behind the kitchen in what looked like his families living area and brought us out several bowls of pha and a bottle of rice whiskey before either of us could order.

Looking at my bowl I reminisced on the meal. The once raw beef had long ago finished cooking in the boiling hot broth. Surely serving raw meet in such a way violated health code as there was only a slim hope that the boiling liquid would sterilise whatever microbes may have been present.

It was not easy to get a slayer drunk so long as the drink was free of mystical contaminant. Apparently the Kansan across the straw table from me was equally as resistant to its effects. Two bottles into the meal and I was just starting to feel myself lose some of my higher brain function. Clark must have been made from some hefty stock in the heartland as he did not seem to be effected at all and I knew for sure he had drank as much as me.

Somewhere after our first bottle I had stopped trying to pretend I didn't understand what he was telling the owner and his wife. We were now engaged in a heated debate about which provinces of south asia had the better cuisine. Each affronted remark caused the two of us the speak faster and louder. Shortly after this discussion began I realised that both Clark and our hosts were speaking Hanoi Vietnamese while I was struggling to be understood in my significantly more westernised Ho Chi Minh dialect. I could pick out a few words shared between Clark and the owner that were definitely not Vietnamese. Deciding to store that piece of information I decided that I needed to have a conversation with Mr Kent about his education.

Sometime after one in the afternoon we left the noodle shop and started walking in the direction of the Planet.

We walked in silence for a while as I observed the specimen next to me. Clark was walking with his head turned to the sky. His sleeves were rolled up past his elbows and his tied had been loosened. The navy suit jacket he had been wearing was hanging on his arm with both hands stuffed into his pants pockets. For almost six blocks he walked with me never saying anything but maintaining my exact pace on the city sidewalk. He moved us off into the direction of a subway entrance and spoke the first word to me for nearly fifteen minutes when he handed me a plastic metro-line pass before walking through the turnstiles.

Once we had stepped onto the train and both grabbed the rail above us he turned to me and smiled. It was the first time he had looked me in the eyes since leaving the restaurant.

'I liked this.' He said in an even tone that I realised held none of the trepidation or masked inflection I had heard earlier at the Planet. This was him being who he really was or as close as most people were allowed.

'I liked this too.' I said smiling up at him. He wasn't off the hook for his conflicting behaviour but for just right now I could forget all of my questions and just enjoy being with Clark Kent.


End file.
